IVN ENG YAN LING SEC04 / TASK 2 EDITORIAL ILLUSTRATION

01/11/2023 - 29/11/2023 / Week 6 - Week 10

Eng Yan Ling / 0350603

Illustration & Visual Narrative

Bachelor of Creative Media / Taylor's University

TABLE CONTENT / JUMPLINK

1. Instructions

2. Lectures

3. Exercises

3.1 Editorial Illustration

3.2 Animation

4. Feedbacks

5. Reflection

6. Quick Links

INSTRUCTIONS

LECTURES

Week 6

Briefing on upcoming assignment, Editorial Layout. What is expected and its topic, urban legend and art style, art deco. The additional time of the class is given for us to complete Vormator Character Design and as a QnA session for the Vormator Character Design.

Week 7

In Week 7, we were given exercises which covers the topic of transparency, gradient and noise by applying gradients onto the shape, adjusting its gradient and changing its color. After applying gradients, a grain texture is applied to the selected element and its intensity and contrast is adjusted to desired consistency. Then, a final exercise is given where we are required to apply the same set of skills to the characters provided.

Figure 7.1 Exercise (Week 7, 08/11/2023)

Week 8

In Week 8 replacement tutorial, the main focus in this class is to familiarize and learn the functions and advantage of using the pencil tool. In the first exercise, we were given letters where we can adjust all angles to our desired outcome, add or subtract the strokes with the pencil tool. The following exercise is tracing the image with the guide provided.

Week 9

Animating secondary action to give the editorial layout a depth/weight in the gif. Secondary action is animation on an object in the background.

EXERCISES

Task 2 : Decisive Moment

Editorial Illustration

In this project, we are required to illustrate a contemporary urban legend in an art deco style. The urban I have chosen is "Krampus". A general summary of the urban legend "Krampus" is in hopes of children to be kind and obedient as they will be punished if they are naughty during Christmas. This urban legend is still believed by many children in this modern age as St Nicholas who resembles Santa Claus rewards children who are good. This urban legend is also known as a tradition in Germany during the Christmas festive season.

1. Research

Figure 2.1 Character Reference

These are the reference and inspiration to both Krampus and St Nicholas to illustrate my urban legend - Krampus. These references has also helped me in understanding the details in order to execute my illustration.

Figure 2.2 Illustration Reference

This image compiles the reference used to illustrate my composition.

Figure 2.3 Character Illustration Reference

This is a compilation of my references in order to understand the details and elements in my characters such as understanding and studying the shape of a goat's features, the movement and position of an arm from several angles and more.

Figure 2.4 Frame Reference - Framed Ink

With FramedInk provided by my lecturer, I have chose Point of View as my reference to sketch my urban legend.

Figure 2.5 Camera Angle Reference

With other sources provided by my lecturer, I have decided to use the fallen camera angle to express the movement and point of view of my protagonist.

2. Interpretation

Krampus is an urban legend where Krampus, a goat-like demon punishes misbehaved children where St Nicholas rewards obedient and behaved children, total opposite of what Krampus does.

Act I : The Beginning/Setup

Based on this summary, I intend to interpret the story in a way that shows the contrast of both Krampus and St Nicolas. In the beginning (set up) of my interpretation, it will be a scene where it shows 2 children with 2 complete opposite behavior, behaved and misbehaved.

Act II : The Middle/Confrontation

The following scene will be where both children are currently facing the confrontation each with Krampus and St Nicholas. As mentioned, the behaved children gets rewarded with gifts whereas the misbehaved ones ends up getting punished by being eaten or taken to hell by Krampus. The protagonist who will be Krampus' target, is emphasized by using his point of view to view the illustration.

Act III : The Ending/Resolution

For the resolution, it will be focusing on the outcome of both child where the one with Krampus is either being eaten or brought to hell whereas the one who was rewarded influences other children to be good to be rewarded or at the very least avoid the consequences of being naughty during Christmas, similarly to children in real life who believe to be good for Christmas.

In conclusion, similar to tales children listen often, this interpretation shows the meaning of "One Good Turn Deserves Another". When a good deed is done, you will be rewarded and likewise for people who misbehaves.

3. Mood Board

Figure 2.6 Mood Board (Week 8, 15/11/2023)

4. Sketch

Figure 2.7 1st Sketch (Week 8, 15/11/2023)

First Attempt on my sketch shows the overall contrast of Krampus, who punishes disobedient children and St Nicholas who rewards obedient children on Christmas.

Feedback received from Mr Hafiz is that the sketch is incorrect and must apply a type of frame based on FramedInk and a camera angle which my illustration did not apply.

Figure 2.8 2nd Sketch of foreground, middle ground, background (Week 8, 15/11/2023)

Figure 2.8 shows my second attempt of my sketch. The overall of my illustration consists of the foreground, middle ground, and background. In the first image, I have sketched out the position of "Krampus" which will be the middle ground of the composition. The foreground of the illustration only consists of the point of view (pov) of the protagonist with the fallen camera angle is sketched in the bottom left image where the thick gray line shows its direction. The 2 images on the right shows the overall silhouette and placement of the object/character in the whole composition. The upper right contains both the silhouette of the middle ground - Krampus and the background St. Nicholas.

Figure 2.9 Sketch of overall composition of Turning Point (Week 8, 15/11/2023)

Combining all 3 compositions (foreground, middle ground, background), the image above is the overall composition of my illustration on Krampus portraying the "turning point" of the urban legend.

Explanation : In this illustration, Krampus is a goat-like demon who punishes naughty children during Christmas by eating or taking them to hell. In the middle ground shows Krampus crawling and coming after the protagonist (foreground), who has been naughty for Christmas. Unlike the background which I have sketched another child and St Nicholas, who is the opposite of Krampus, rewards children with gifts who are kind and obedient for Christmas. Therefore the protagonist arms shows that he/she is reaching out for help in fear of being captured by Krampus. I have drew "Krampus" based on some of my references, emphasizing its goat-like appearance and a monstrous face with uneven sharp teeth and his unusually long tongue.

5. Digitization

Figure 2.10 Color Palette of Digital Illustration (Week 8, 16/11/2023)

With the help of adobe colors, I have generated several color swatches for my overall digitization of my sketch as well as referencing some color palettes from Pinterest.

Figure 2.11 Silhouette of Composition (Week 8, 16/11/2023)

The silhouette of my composition is shown in Figure 2.11, with the foreground and background in white color to express the focus in my composition.

Figure 2.12 Background Colors & Position(Week 8, 16/11/2023)

Figure 2.13 Background Illustration (Week 8, 16//11/2023)

Based on my image references, I have constructed a simple shape and outline of St Nicholas and the child along with St Nicholas' "hat". It is constructed in a simple manner in order to showcase the art deco style as stated in the instruction of this assignment.

Figure 2.14 Colors of Background (Week 8, 16/11/2023)

After illustrating the simple structure of the characters, I have applied the colors of the the characters and used pathfinder to create the patterns of St Nicholas' hat by dividing the element into its respective. I have chosen a bright red color which resembles the color of Santa Claus and St Nicholas clothing. The semi circle for the characters is in a bright color because I would also like to express and shine light to the opposing character "St Nicholas" who rewards children in contrast of Krampus who only punishes misbehaved children.

Figure 2.15 Final Background Outline (Week 8, 16/11/2023)

Figure 1.14 shows the final outline of the background composition.

Figure 2.16 Final Background Layer (Week 8, 16/11/2023)

With the overall elements done, minor changes are made to the background colors to ensure it goes well with the rest of the background color as a whole.

Figure 2.17 Krampus Crawling Reference (Week 8, 16/11/2023)

Figure 2.18 Final Middle Ground Outline (Week 8, 16/11/2023)

With the above used as a reference of Krampus crawling, I have used generic shapes such as squares, triangles, rectangles and circle to construct the shape of Krampus, adjusting its angles and curving edges to match the shape.

Figure 2.19 Final Middle Ground (Week 8, 16/11/2023)

Figure 2.20 Outline of Foreground (Week 8, 16/11/2023)

As mention in my sketch where the foreground/protagonist reaches out in fear of being capture. this is the outline of my foreground after studying and understanding the angle of the hands from the protagonist point of view.

Figure 2.21 Colored Foreground (Week 8, 16/11/2023)

With the outline positioned in the frame, I have applied the skin color to the hands based on my color palette constructed and added the outline of the fingers

Figure 2.22 Final Composition of Urban Legend Illustration (Week 8, 16/11/2023)

Combining all 3 layers of my composition, Figure 2.22 shows the overall illustration of the urban legend Krampus' turning point.

Before proceeding to enhance the illustration, my final composition is sent to my lecturer to receive feedback on my digital illustration to ensure I am on the right track of this assignment.

6. Texture

Figure 2.23 Background Texture Reference

The texture applied to background to show the protagonist is outdoor and the only visible sky is nearing the background layer (upper right corner triangle).

Figure 2.24 Middle Ground Texture Reference

The texture applied to the middle ground background as if the ground is covered with snow to represent the setting of the illustration takes place in a winter season, the month of Christmas. (middle section of background).

Figure 2.25 Foreground Texture Reference

The texture applied to foreground (bottom left corner triangle) is similar to a concrete floor which is the ground of the protagonist fell onto.

Figure 2.26 Final Background with Textures (Week 8, 17/11/2023)

With the references above, an additional dark gray layer is the base of the background colors and the final background with texture is shown in Figure 2.26. the semi circle in the up right corner applies a gradient to show its glowing effect and opacity adjusted to show that the background is not off importance but at the same time a bright background to show the contrast of the story/turning point.

Figure 2.27 Gradient Settings (Week 8, 17/11/2023)

The gradient settings applied to the semi circle.

Figure 2.28 Textures on Characters (Week 8, 17/11/2023)

As learned in the previous tutorial, I have applied a gradient to show to contrast and shadow of the characters. Then, a grainy texture is also added to the background characters and opacity adjusted.

Figure 2.29 Final Background Layer (Week 8, 17/11/2023)

Figure 2.30 Krampus Hands Texture

Figure 2.31 Textured applied to Hands (Week 8, 17/11/2023)

With the image reference the texture is only applied to the hands of Krampus whereas the rest of its element applies gradient of black, grey and white to show the contrast from the lighting of the background characters.

Figure 2.32 Gradients applied to Krampus (Week 8, 17/11/2023)

Figure 2.33 Final Middle Ground Layer (Week 8, 17/11/2023)

Figure 2.34 Details of Protagonist (Week 8, 17/11/2023)

Using pathfinder, I have divided and recolored the divided parts to show the shadows of the protagonists "hands". Using a slightly darker shade, I have recolored the outlines on the hands.

Figure 2.35 Final Foreground Layer (Week 8, 17/11/2023)

FINAL Urban Legend Illustration Submission

Figure 2.36 Final Urban Legend Illustration Submission (Week 8, 17/11/2023)

With the guidance and feedback from my lecturer, this is my final submission for Urban Legend - Krampus Digital Illustration.

Animation

1. Research

Figure 2.37 Animation Research

Research conducted to better understand the details of saliva dripping down and movement of clothing when the wind blows. References sourced from Pinterest.

Figure 2.38 Animation Guide/Reference

Based on the Power Point slide provided on Limited Animation Guide, I have used slide 12 as a reference for my animation.

2.Sketch

Explanation : My animation shows the clothing movement of the 2 characters (St Nicholas & Child) in the background which I want to showcase the outcome that the protagonist could have ended up in, being rewarded on Christmas instead he is faced by the creature (Krampus) with hunger and saliva dripping in anticipation to punish him for his bad deeds on Christmas.

Figure 2.39 Animation Sketch (Week 9, 22/11/2023)

After conducting research on animation references and how each elements flow/move such as clothing or saliva movement, I have did a basic sketch on how i expect my illustration for each panel in order to guide me when I digitize my animation panels.

3. Animation

Figure 2.40 Animation Process (Week 9, 24/11/2023)

Using the references from my research on the position and shape of a monster's saliva, I illustrate Krampus' saliva according to the shape of its teeth and adding additional details to achieve a better outcome.

Figure 2.41 Middle Ground Animation (Week 9, 24/11/2023)

Based on my first saliva illustration, I have illustrate the saliva movement (dripping) with my references to achieve a saliva dripping animation occurring for my middle ground. Figure 2.41 shows the 4 main illustrations/movement for the animation.

Figure 2.42 Background Animation Process 1 (Week 9, 25/11/2023)

After completing the illustration for the middle ground, I moved on the illustrating the panels for my background. With some research and references of a clothing piece movement, I have outlined the rough shape of St Nicholas' cloak. After having the outline of it, I have made some minor changes to get cleaner and nicer strokes. Then, I have created the goldish-yellow on his cloak as seen in my Editorial Illustration using the pen tool, applying the same gradients used in my illustration to it. Using the guidelines, I have used it to adjust the consistency in the character height according to its hat, hands and base.

Figure 2.43 Background Animation Process 2 (Week 9, 25/11/2023)

Moving on to the child's illustration, I have decided to make it simple with 4 flows of her clothes and hair. Similarly to St Nicholas, I have used the guidelines to maintain the consistency of her height.

Figure 2.44 Background Animation Process 3 (Week 9, 25/11/2023)

After completing the illustration of both the child and St Nicholas, I combined them as seen in Editorial Illustration. I have used a line to indicate the distance between both the characters to ensure the consistency during the animation is maintained.

Figure 2.45 Texture (Week 9, 25/11/2023)

Textures are applied to the clothing and the gift as referred to Editorial Illustration.

Clothing : Grain (Intensity - 15, Contrast - 30)

Gift : Texturizer (Scaling - 50, Relief - 3)

Figure 2.46 Background Animation (Week 9, 25/11/2023)

Figure 2.46 shows the main illustrations I will be using for my background.

Final Animation Gif Panels

Figure 2.47 Final Animation Panels - 9 (Week 9, 25/11/2023)

After the process of illustrating my panels with the basic shapes required, I have adjusted to a total of 9 panels for my animation.

4. Final

After illustrating each panels, I have carried on my work in Photoshop by combining all 9 panels into a gif.

Figure 2.48 Animation Bg (Week 10, 27/11/2023)

A background is added as a base for the animation gif.

Figure 2.49 Animation Time Period (Week 10, 27/11/2023)

After testing all time period for each panels to apply the most suitable time required, each panels of my animation gif is 0.2s.

Figure 2.50 shows my first attempt on my gif animation (Week 10, 27/11/2023)

Based on my first feedback given, the flow of the creature's saliva is good but background is moving too much. Mr Hafiz advised to maintain the position of the person and only movement from the clothing.

FINAL Editorial GIF Submission

Refer to editorial layout for further explanation on my "decisive moment".

Figure 2.51 FINAL Editorial Illustration Animation GIF (Week 10, 28/11/2023)

After amending my animation GIF based on the feedbacks I have received, Figure 2.51 is my final submission for Editorial Illustration Animation GIF.

FEEDBACKS

Editorial Illustration :

1st Sketch : No direction, camera angle or frame style. Hence, sketch is incorrect and does not apply the requirements of this assignment.

2nd Sketch : Overall is good and correct, may proceed with digital illustration.

Overall digitization is in the right direction and good, Mr Hafiz advised to add texture to improve the illustration.

Animation :

Flow of creature's saliva is good, background animation is moving too much. Reduce the movements of the whole person and only the movements of clothing. Overall direction of the animation is on the right path.

REFLECTION

While completing this assignment, I have faced a lot of challenges and have learned a lot through this assignment. At first, I was unsure of a lot about a lot of things/direction as I am still new to this which have made me delayed my work and loss of motivation while completing this assignment. However, I took the initiative to conduct more researches and reached out for guidance from Mr hafiz which have helped me a lot. The process has helped me in refining my skills in using AI that will be helpful to me in the future. Above that, I have also learned the skills and knowledge in creating a simple/limited animation gif. Therefore, I have learned not only the skill and knowledge of illustrating a decisive moment and animating a limited animation gif, I have also improved in terms of soft skills such as time management and more.

QUICK LINKS

Blogs

Task 1 / Vormator Character click here

Task 3 / Digital Triptych click here

Task 4 / Final Project : Self-Titled click here

Final Compilation & Reflection : click here

Google Drive

General : click here

Task 2 Editorial Illustration (Decisive Moment) : click here

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Eng Yan Ling (0350603)